36 hours to Hell
by Woozhing
Summary: Sakuragi Hanamichi is in deep trouble as someone wants to send him to Hell. He only has 36 hours to get Rukawa to help save him. 2nd birthday fic for the tensai!
1. Destiny

Disclaimer: Fanfiction based on characters created by Takehiko Inoue in Slam Dunk and Hiroshi Watanabe in Jigoku Shoujo.

* * *

**Chapter I: Destiny**

"My name is Ai Enma"  
Hanamichi stared at the little girl with old-fashioned long hair and humongous maroon eyes dressed in a schoolgirl uniform.  
"Hell Girl!?"  
"Yes, I am the Hell Girl."

A chill ran down Hanamichi's spine as he realised that since he did not access her Hotline to Hell website, it could only mean one thing.  
"You came cos someone wanted revenge on me"  
In cold sweat, he stared wildly at the weird but still sweet as cherry pie little girl who stared back unblinkingly.  
"Yes."

Hanamichi started to shake and tremble but after a while, anger took over and he felt very calm. He knew he had to accept the inevitable and descend to hell with her but he wanted to know who did it. Who was the person who hated him so much as to deliver such terrible vengence on him.  
"It was Oda," said Ai reading his mind. "The ace player from Takezato"  
"Oda? But why? I thought we became friends after I helped him solve some problem he had with his girlfriend, Yuko"  
"Let me show you why," Ai said in her usual monotone.

All of a sudden Hanamichi felt himself being pulled into a cosmic whirlpool and just as he thought he was going to be pull apart, he found himself standing on the beach. There was a howling tidal wind from the sea and the waves kept crashing onto the greyish sand. He saw Yuko standing with her back towards him and in front of her was Oda with his face contorted yelling at her.

"Why do you still want to break up with me? I thought everything was fine between us after the match with Kainan last year. Now my ankle is all healed and I am ready now. This year we go to Interhigh for sure"  
Yuko didn't answered but Hanamichi could see from her heaving shoulders that she was crying. He wanted to tell Oda to stop harassing her but he found he couldn't move or speak. He was just a ghostly spectator.

"Stop crying, damn you!" cried Oda and he raised his arm, pulled it back and was about to bring his back hand across her face. Yuko cowered and raised her hands to cover her face. Hanamichi gritted his teeth but was helpless to do anything. Fortunately, Oda changed his mind and lowered his arm.  
"Fine, don't think that you are that hard to replace. There are plenty of pretty girls who like basketball players in Kanagawa. But I am not like Sakuragi who chases after anyone in a skirt, I wanted to stay faithful to you"  
By now Hanamichi was so angry he could feel his blood boiling.

"Do you want to go back to Sakuragi now that he is a basketball player? Is that why you are breaking up with me"  
"NO ODA!" Yuko finally screamed out in frustration. "It's not about Sakuragi. You know very well why I want to break up with you"  
Then she turned around and ran down the beach. Sakuragi was shocked because she had a black eye and her jaw looked bruised.

Oda glared murderously as Yuko's figure grew smaller and smaller. He muttered furiously, "Just you wait, Sakuragi. Don't think you can come between Yuko and me, and get away with it. I will have my vengeance on you."

Hanamichi felt himself being sucked into the cosmic whirlpool again. In a trice, he was back on his futon looking at the Hell Girl.  
"But that's so unfair. I didn't do anything to Oda. He just assumed it was me who took Yuko away from him"  
"That is correct," agreed Ai. "He was in denial that Yuko could not stand being abused by him anymore and left him. So he had to find a scrapegoat"  
"Guess it was just my bad luck that the scrapegoat is me. Is hell very frightening? No, don't tell me. But I should be able to bear it cos I am the tensai. After all, I had just been through rehab and hell can't be anymore painful that that."

Amazingly he heard a girlish chuckle. Ai was actually smiling. It was more astonishing than seeing Rukawa smiled during Interhigh!  
"Sakuragi Hanamichi," said Hell Girl after her face went back to her normal expressionless look. "Since you are not actually destined to die yet and I had made a mistake by answering Oda's call, I will give you a second chance"  
Hanamichi's heart leapt in joy, "You mean you are not taking me to hell"  
"Not yet. I will extend the deadline until your birthday which is in three days' time. Within those three days, you must perform a task for me. Fail and you will be taken to hell on the stroke of midnight on March 31st"  
"Sound fair enough, so what is the task"  
"You have to get Rukawa Kaede to say 'I love you' and he has to say it to you with all his heart"  
"WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Take this," said Ai and thrust a straw doll into Hanamichi's hand. "It will disappear only if Rukawa is sincere about his feelings towards you. This is to prevent you from forcing him to say the words just to save you"  
"Wait a minute, Hell Girl! This is an impossible task even for a tensai like me. How can I get Rukawa to say those words to me"  
"You have to make him fall in love with you in three days"  
"Why Rukawa? Why can't it be Haruko"  
"Haruko is not destined to fall in love with you"  
"Well, neither is Rukawa. You know he hates me and I hate him. How about if I get him to say 'I hate you' to me with all his heart?"

But Ai just said sternly, "Remember you only have three days." Then she disappeared. Hanamichi stared down at the straw doll in his hand thinking she might as well take him to hell now.


	2. Day 1

**Chapter II: Day 1**

Hanamichi cautiously followed Rukawa as he was walking down the corridor in school. Small groups of schoolgirls appeared at the doorway of classrooms giggling as they ogled at him. One group pushed a very pretty girl into his path. She stood with outstretched arms and a letter nestling in her palms, but Rukawa just ignored her walking past without missing a beat. The girl's face fell and tears glistened in her lovely almond eyes. Her friends crowded around her to comfort her.

What an arrogant fox, Hanamichi screwed up his face in anger and jealousy, you could at least accept her letter. On the other hand, he thought he could understand Rukawa's indifference since he received such advances almost every single day. So what does it take to capture the ice prince's heart and made him blurt out three precious little words. Not even muttering that he was a tensai could make Hanamichi confident of doing it.

He stared at the tall raven-haired boy in front of him and licked his dry lips nervously. He had to try somehow if he didn't want to burn in hell. He opened his mouth but he could only whispered Rukawa's name. Surprisingly the foxy boy stopped and turned around. His blue eyes seemed to flash and throw out lightning bolts at Hanamichi who unconsciously flinched. Normally he would give as good as he get, exchanging bolt for bolt with Rukawa.

"What?" Rukawa asked in a low monotone which sounded ominously like the incantation of the Hell Girl.  
"Erm ... going to practice"  
"Yes." Rukawa's supercilious frown revealed his contempt at Hanamichi's inane question since they were both walking towards the gym.  
"Maybe we can ... erm ... go together"  
"Idiot." Rukawa turned and started walking without a single word but he did slow down his footsteps as if waiting for Hanamichi to catch up.

Hanamichi quickened his pace and caught up with Rukawa. Walking next to him, he stole a glance at Rukawa's cold profile. Although Rukawa was still frowning, Hanamichi unwillingly admitted it was a very fine profile. It just made his impossible task even more impossible. Stupid Hell Girl, he ranted silently, how dare you set such a crazy task for the tensai. He sighed and placing both hands on either side of his head, he ran his fingers through his hair which had the hue and look of a crackling fire. They reached the entrance to the gym where they could see some junior members mopping the floor.

Without turning his head, Rukawa slanted his blue orbs under spiky black bangs towards Hanamichi, "Your hair ..."  
"Huh, what about my hair?" Hanamichi tugged at the sweet licks of golden red hair that habitually fell between his eyes. A strange look came across Rukawa's pale beautiful face.  
"Don't shave it again," he said softly before stalking off to the locker room. Hanamichi could only stared after him in a complete daze. What was that about his hair?

So the first day of his deathline to hell ended miserably for Hanamichi. He did not dare approach Rukawa again after the bizarre comment about his hair.


	3. Day 2

**Chapter III: Day Two**

"Why do you keep staring at Rukawa?" asked Hikaru, a fresh-faced rookie who was doing stretching exercises with Hanamichi. Hanamichi at first turned away to hide his blushing then turned back to apply an Akagi-style armlock on Hikaru's neck.  
"I am not staring. I never stare at Rukawa. Even if I do, the tensai doesn't need such criticism from his juniors." He released his grip and Hikaru dropped onto the ground, opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

"Hey idiot, stop fooling around," Rukawa scolded as he dribbled past them. "The match against Takezato is tomorrow."

Like a reflex action, Hanamichi shook his fist at Rukawa's back. Then his heart sank, he had indeed forgotten that the Takezato coach had invited them for their first match of the year. Damn it, he was thinking, Oda is sure to go berserk on finding out that I haven't been send to Hell yet. What if he were to go and beat up Yuko again? Hanamichi's face darkened and without thinking, he drove his fist hard down on the bench causing Hikaru to quickly scamper away.

"Yo, Hanamichi!" It was Youhei along with his army who had come to watch them practise. Youhei was looking at him with some concern. He quickly gave him a cheeky grin and made a V sign with his fingers. Youhei was extremely sensitive to his moods and if he were to find out that Oda had called up the Hell Girl to deliver vengence on him, God only knows what he was gonna do to Oda. He had to find some excuse not to participate in tomorrow's match. His head began spinning from the complexity of it all and he wanted some air. He waited till everyone's attention was on their Captain Ryota who was shouting out instructions and sneaked out.

He went up to the rooftop and leaned against the railing. The rooftop had always been a santuary ever since he met Rukawa and they had their first fight. He came up here a few times when he was feeling stressed or unhappy. He always came with a smothered hope that he might find Rukawa here too but he never did. He knew that the lazy fox would sometimes creep up here to sleep during breaks. Most people avoided him when he was sleeping as he was known to rashly beat up anyone who wake him up.

Hanamichi chuckled to himself. The fox does have his cute moments, he was thinking. He was thinking of and staring, it seemed, at Rukawa very often these two days and it had been oddly pleasant. It would be the joke of the century if he were to fall in love with Rukawa during his last three days on earth. He bashed his head a few times and told himself to stop thinking nonsense. The tensai would most definitely not fall in love with that stinky fox under any circumstances.

"Why are you here, idiot?"  
Speak of the devil, Hanamichi's mind was full of the imagery of hell. Rukawa was standing with arms folded at the entrance to the rooftop.  
"How do you know I was here?"  
Rukawa came and stood next to him, "I guess."  
It was puzzling how Rukawa could be so intuitive about him sometimes. Maybe it was just that great enemies think alike.

"How would you feel if you can't play basketball anymore?" Hanamichi suddenly asked him.  
Rukawa looked slightly stunned for a second then his pale face turned even paler as he intoned, "It's your back, isn't it? You're having a relapse."  
"Huh? No, no, not that. I'm fully recovered although it might be better if I am not then I will have no regrets."  
"No regrets? You're not making sense."  
Hanamichi gave a ghost of a smile, "That's right. Treat everything I say from now on as nonsense, Rukawa. For instance, have you ever say to anyone 'I love you' with all your heart or are you planning to."  
"Huh?"  
"Have you? I would like it very much if you could answer the question."

Rukawa narrowed his eyes as he was losing patience with Hanamichi. All he wanted was to get the redhead back to some serious basketball practice. He thought it was better to humour him so he answered harshly, "No, I have no intention of saying it to anyone."  
Hanamichi looked down for a moment and when he lifted his head, he had on the widest grin.  
"Yeah, I knew you would say that. Come on, kitsune. Let's practise our hardest and beat Takezato."  
But for some reason Rukawa felt dread and unease even though Hanamichi seemed to have cheered up. What was going on with this guy?

* * *

_Thank you so mich for all your reviews but I really hope I didn't get your hopes up since I was rushing it for Hanamichi's birthday and I don't think it was very well written. I have to stretch it to last 3 days and so it kinda hanging I think, so sorry about that. To RuHana-Lover4Ever, I have written a senhana-ruhanaru called Love Games but it's not very good cos it was supposed to be senhanasen but turned into ruhanaru. I am going to write another cos I really like senhana but since I try to write in context with the manga, it's very hard as there is not much evidence, at least to me, that Hanamichi will recipocrate Sendoh's interest in him._


	4. Day 3 Part 1

**Chapter III: Day 3 Part 1**

Hanamichi sat in discomfort with his head under a towel on the Shohoku bench as the match with Takezato was nearing half time. He had pleaded with Coach Anzai using his back as an excuse. He felt ashamed for doing so but he had no choice. Although the rotund coach didn't look convinced, he agreed to let Hanamichi off but insisted that he should sit out at least the first half. Hanamichi had waited till the match began before he entered the Takezato gym with a towel covering his head. His ruse seemed to have worked as there was no sign of Oda coming to confront him.

So far so good, Hanamichi thought, just a few more minutes then I can go home and ... Today was the third day and the clock was ticking away the minutes when he would be taken to hell. He still felt pretty calm but only because he had no more emotion. Last night he had practised very hard, occasionally throwing a side glance at Rukawa. Everytime he looked at that stone face and those cold eyes, he half suspected the Hell Girl was playing a joke on him seeing as his birthday falls on April Fools' Day. Eventually perhaps Rukawa would fall in love and maybe he would even say those three words but at this point in time, the fox had only enough passion for basketball.

The referee whistled for half time and Hanamichi bolted for the exit straightaway. He didn't want any chance for Oda to glance his way. He sped to the locker room, threw his stuff into his bag which he slung over his shoulder and quickly made his way to the school gate. He was only about a metre from the gate when he heard it. A sharp intake of breath and strangulated whisper, "Sakuragi, why are you still here?"

It had to be Oda but Hanamichi didn't stop walking until a hand grabbed hold of the back of his shirt. Oda put his sweaty face close to Hanamichu who almost puked from his fetid breath. Oda smelled like the walking dead.  
"You should be burning in hell, damn you!"  
Hanamich twisted away from him, "Calm down Oda. Ai just gave me a few extra days. Don't worry, she will be coming for me soon."

"Ai?! You called the Hell Girl Ai like she's your friend. That's what I can't stand about you, Sakuragi. You take everything for granted but still it always works out for you. You decided to play basketball for a whim and all of a sudden, Coach Anzai thinks you are a prodigy. You hurted your back, missed training and people still calls you the Rebound King. Why can't you just lie down and die, you red-haired mongrel?"

Oda was spitting like a lunatic and Hanamichi could almost feel the rage, hatred and jealousy eating him up like bitter acid inside. Although Hanamichi sometimes felt the same way about Rukawa always taking things for granted and winning over him, he never let the anger, hate and jealousy eat him up. Instead he turned them into boundless energy and determination to improve and surpass Rukawa. So he felt such sad pity for this poor driven guy but he still had a score to settle. He yanked down Oda's jersey to reveal the unique black mark bore by those poor souls who got their revenge by using the Hotline to Hell.

"You paid your price for sending me to Hell, Oda, but if you dare to touch Yuko ever again, believe me the tensai will rise up from Hell to find you and you will wish you have been to Hell sooner."  
Hanamichi could see and smell fear in Oda so he was satisfied. He stepped away as he suddenly felt revulsion for the guy.  
"Put all that hate and rage for me in basketball, Oda," he advised as he walked out of the gate.

Oda started to shake and tremble. He didn't know whether to believe Hanamichi or not. Still he needed to get back to the game so he turned and almost ran into a tall figure standing frozen behind him. Recognising him as Shohoku ace, Oda ignored him and rushed back to the gym.

Rukawa opened his eyes in cold shock and found himself in his bedroom. He had fallen asleep after coming back from the game with Takezato. He sat up and found that his shirt was soaking wet with perspiration. Funny, he thought, it's not such a hot day and the aircon is still on. He tried to recall the dream or nightmare he had just now. It was like he was burning up in Hell ... he at once remembered the conversation he overheard between Hanamichi and Oda.

After the whistle rang for half time, Rukawa had walked back to the bench just in time to see Hanamichi running off like crazy. He still had that stupid towel over his head. Nobody including the captain had dared to ask why he had been wearing a towel to cover his hair and half of his face. It was like he was trying to hide from someone. Feeling somewhat disquiet, Rukawa had decided to chase after him and caught up just as Oda had blurted out that Hanamichi should be burning in Hell.

Rukawa vaguely remembered hearing rumours about a Hotline to Hell only because the girl talking about it had sat next to him in class and her squeaky voice had pierced his consciousness. Had Oda access the Hotline to Hell to send Hanamichi to Hell? Rukawa refused to believe in such urban legends. But then he recalled Hanamichi's strange behaviour these past few days. The redhead had voluntarily spoken to him and in a civil manner too. He had caught the idiot sneaking glances at him too and somehow it made him feel oddly pleased.

He turned on his computer and searched for the Hotline to Hell. The website address came up in the searches and he glanced at his watch because he remembered it could only be accessed at midnight. It was 11:28 but Rukawa decided to click on it anyway ...

"You called," someone said in a monotone behind him. Rukawa let an involuntary squeak and whirled around. There was suddenly a little girl dressed in a black and white uniform in his room!

"My name is Ai Enma," she said in a monotone to match his.


	5. Day 3 Part 2

**Chapter IV - Day 3 Part 2**

As Rukawa stared at the apparition in his room, he knew he should be afraid even though it has taken the form of a sweet little girl with the largest eyes he had ever seen. But his fear and anxiety over Hanamichi override any kind of terror he was feeling. He swallowed hard as he asked, "Did Oda called you to send Sakuragi to Hell?"  
"Yes."  
"But you didn't send him to Hell."  
"Not yet"  
"Why?"  
"He is not destined to die yet so I have given him a second chance."

Mild relief showed on Rukawa's face only to disappear when Ai said, "I will be taking him to Hell at midnight since he did not complete the task I have given him."  
"What task? Maybe I can complete it for him."  
Ai stared at him unblinkingly as she told him, "Only you can complete the task for him."  
Rukawa looked at her in confusion.  
"I told Hanamichi to get you to say 'I love you' to him with all your heart."  
"What? But why me? Why not one of his friends. The one who beat up Mitsui."

"You mean Mito Youhei. It will not be a difficult task to get him to say 'I love you' to Hanamcihi with all his heart. He will do it in an instance but then it will be like sentencing Hanamichi to hell on earth if he is then forced to accept Youhei's love for saving him."  
No not that, his mind at once protested. He stared at the Hell Girl who seemed to have heard him.  
"So it has to be you."

"Why do I have to say ... those words to him? Can't I just shake his hand?"  
"A curse originating from hate can only be lifted by love not friendship. If Hanamichi has someone on earth who loves him with all his heart the way Oda hates him with all his heart, only then will he be allowed to stay here. There is not much time left. I have to prepare myself. There is a ritual to be completed before I guide Sakuragi Hanamichi to Hell at midnight"  
"Wait a minute ..." but the Hell Girl had gone.

Rukawa's heart fell as he glanced at his watch and saw it was eighteen minutes to midnight. He rushed out of the house and got on his bike without thinking about where he was going. It was not only time that was at stake here but he didn't know if he could say to Hanamichi that he loved him with all his heart. He was only sixteen after all and he didn't even know what was love. There had been many girls who had declared their love for him but he could never feel it. How could they love him when they didn't even know a single thing about him? He found that he had taken the route he habitually took almost every day to school. By instinct he had known that Hanamichi had gone to the Shohoku gym to wait out his final hours on earth ...

Hanamichi raised his arm and made a fist when another one of his jump shots swished through the net. He brought his fingers to his mouth and kissed them. He was making all his baskets tonight. The only witness was the straw doll that Hell Girl had given him and which he had placed under the hoop. He glanced at his watch, about a minute to midnight and just enough time to make a slam dunk and descend to Hell in glory. Picking up speed, he dribbled to the foul line and jumped to the hoop. Just as he slammed the ball with so much force that the backboard almost cracked in protest and the minute hand tick over to twelve, Rukawa bursted into the court on his bike and shouted at the top of his voice.

"I LOVE YOU HANAMICHI! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE HIM. DO YOU HEAR THAT, HELL GIRL? I LOVE HANAMICHI! DON'T TAKE HIM TO HELL!"

Hanamichi landed on the floor in total shock as he twisted around to stare at Rukawa. The straw doll under the hoop shimmered and metamorphosed into Ai looking fetching in a floral kimono. She flipped her long hair with her right hand stylishly and declared solemnly, "The curse has been lifted, Sakuragi Hanamichi." Then she disappeared before the two boys could react.

Hanamichi stared wildly at Rukawa still not believing that he had appeared in the nick of time to save him.  
"This is unbelievable! How could you have known, Rukawa?"  
Rukawa held up his hand as he tried to catch his breath from riding like the wind, even he didn't believe that he had made it on time.  
"I ... heard you ... talking to Oda ... and ... called the Hell Girl."

Hanamichi walked over to Rukawa but he didn't know what to say. He felt so awkward after hearing Rukawa said, actually shouted out, that he loved him.  
"Hey, well, I mean thanks a lot for saving me. You didn't have to do it you know."

"Don't be a idiot. How can I let you go to Hell even though I don't even like you that much."  
"Oh yeah, if it was you, I would have done the same."  
But the thought passed through Hanamichi's mind that Rukawa could not have saved him if he didn't say it with all his heart.

As if reading his mind, Rukawa stately coldly, "I didn't know if I could save you but I had to try."  
He got off his bike and grabbed the front of his shirt to wipe his face. Actually he was pretty shocked that he managed to shout out the three words to lift the curse. I must have psyched myself to do it with all my heart, he told himself, it's not like I really mean it.  
"Don't think I mean it or anything," he told Hanamichi. "I only did it to save you."

Hanamichi didn't know why but he felt a bit disappointed when he heard that. He put on his cheeky grin and said, "Yeah, I know. That's why I didn't ask you to do it but I think Ai must have been playing an April Fools' joke on me. I think she meant to save me all along and just wanted to have some fun at my expense."

Rukawa smacked him across the face, "Idiot! You can't play with your life like that even if it's a joke"  
"That hurts, stupid fox," Hanamichi whined holding his face.  
"It meant to hurt. Next time if you need my help, ask me first."  
Rukawa got back on his bike and began to ride out of the gym. Hanamichi after stamping his feet rushed after him.

"Come back here and fight, fox boy. I never asked you to come and save me. Why did you come? I rather burn in Hell than have you save me. Come back here, I say, cowardy fox. Always running away with your tail between your legs. Wait till I catch up with and you know what Hell on earth means."

And so the night ended for Hanamichi happily not in Hell but chasing after his fox boy.

* * *

_So sorry for the late update. Hope it's not too disappointing to end without any lovey-dovey between Hanamichi and Rukawa but sometimes I think it's nice to have them constantly bickering and never admitting that they like each other._


End file.
